15 artists from regional NSW are hitting the road this Spring, playing venues from Wagga Wagga (Wiradjuri) to Byron Bay (Bundjalung) as part of a MusicNSW program that provides artists with essential touring experience and helps forge new touring routes across the state.
SONGBIRD SESSIONS
Saralyn + Jess Crossman + Lawdy Clawdy
- Friday, 12 September: gingerbird espresso, Cowra (Wiradjuri) (tickets)
- Saturday, 13 September: Rustic Nature, Neville (Wiradjuri) (tickets)
- Sunday, 14 September: Barnes Store Emporium and Cafe, Murrumburrah (Wiradjuri) (tickets)
Presented in partnership with Fish River Roasters.
A rising star from the Hunter Valley, Saralyn blends heartfelt songwriting with the fierce confidence of Stevie Nicks, Lainey Wilson, and Dolly Parton. In 2024, she won the Gympie Music Muster Mothertone Talent Search open category.
Jess Crossman fuses together the heart of country with the playfulness of pop and intimacy of indie music. Jess has opened for The Beach Boys, and after making the top 50 in Australian Idol 2023 is now carving out a path singular to her musical journey.
Hailing from Warren in the NSW Outback, Lawdy Clawdy is a folk trio with a country & blues twist. Two-time Golden Guitar winner Greg Storer is joined by his daughter Bonnie (also Director of Warren Chamber Music Festival) & APRA AMCOS Art Music Awards finalist Frances Evans.
THE WAYFINDER TOUR
Sunday Lemonade + Jacq Heart + Kealy Day
- Friday, 17 October: The Lass, Newcastle (Awabakal)
- Saturday, 18 October: Federal Hotel, Bellingen (Gumbaynggirr)
- Sunday, 19 October: Jacko's Bar, Yamba (Yaegl)
All shows free entry.
Power duo Sunday Lemonade’s mix of heartfelt folk, rock and roots saw them named ‘People’s Choice’ at Tamworth Country Music Festival 2024. They’ve taken their undeniable versatility to stages alongside 19Twenty, Sons of the East and Caravana Sun.
Hailing from Crescent Head, Jacq Heart is a genre-bending singer-songwriter who merges alt-folk and cinematic pop with soul-infused dance. Jacq’s music is shaped by her love for the Australian landscape, she draws on experience in dance, movement facilitation and theatre.
Kealy Day is a singer-songwriter from the North Coast whose knack for songcraft runs deep. Born into a lineage of musicians, Day has spent decades honing his storytelling, culminating in his debut album, Left Unsaid, and captivating live performances to boot.
Rising North Tour
Shelly Brown + Pama Hata + The Florin Arc
- Friday, 31 October: The Jacaranda Festival (Venetian Carnival) / Grafton / Bundjalung & Gumbaynggirr (Free entry)
- Wednesday, 5 November: The Beach Hotel / Byron Bay / (Free entry)
- Saturday, 8 November: No.5 Church Street / Bellingen / (Find tickets)
Shelly Brown is an indie soul musician, who has toured to Vietnam, Argentina and Europe and alongside Jon Cleary and Dionne Warwick. Based in Lennox Head & Byron Bay, her soulful voice & distinctive guitar playing has engaged audiences in small bars & at festivals alike.
Pam Hata is a solo acoustic artist from the Mid North Coast & Northern Rivers. She has taken her high-energy live performances, which seamlessly blend traditional Maori music with R&B, soul & pop, to stages alongside Karise Eden, Ben Lee, Boo Seeka & more.
The Florin Arc is an emerging indie rock/trip-pop fusion band from the New England region. They draw on the genre-defying music Slowdive, Portishead and Beach House to craft a sound and presence that lives both on-stage & intimately through your headphones.
Future Sounds Tour
Lillian McVeity + Jakob Poyner + Harriet Lowe
- Friday, 7 November: GPAC Goulburn / Gundungurra (Find tickets)
- Saturday, 8 November: Bingie Pottery / Bingie / Walbunja-Yuin (Find tickets)
- Sunday, 9 November: River Rock Cafe / Bermagui / Djiringanj-Yuin (Find tickets)
Lillian McVeity is a singer-songwriter & guitarist hailing from the Far South Coast of NSW. Through jazz, folk, & indie pop elements, McVeity creates an intimate & atmospheric sound shaped by the rhythms & quiet beauty of the coastal landscape she calls home.
Hailing from the South Coast, Jakob Poyner is a young, up-and-coming singer-songwriter who muses through folk, contemporary, country and soft-rock sensibilities. He has built a local following over the years, opening for acts like Ash Grunwald & Richard Clapton.
Harriet Lowe is a singer, songwriter & guitarist from Crookwell, NSW. She is building a strong reputation in the country music scene, opening for Ross Wilson and Fanny Lumsden, and winning People’s Choice Best Online in the fRETfEST Regional Songwriting Comp.
ALPHA CULT + BOUDICCA + SCENE THRU SLEEP
- Friday, 14 November: The Crossroads Bar / Dubbo / Wiradjuri (Find tickets)
- Friday, 21 November: The Jungle Duke Hotel / Wagga Wagga / Wiradjuri (Free entry)
- Saturday, 22 November: The Hamilton Station Hotel / Newcastle / Awabakal & Worimi (Find tickets)
Alpha Cult is a metal band hailing from Leeton. Drawing inspiration from thrash, death & hardcore styles, Alpha Cult’s raw energy and heavy riffs have earned them a growing fan base in the local metal scene & they continue to make waves in the underground music circuit.
Boudicca is steadily solidifying themselves as one of the country’s most captivating live heavy bands, unleashing "ground-shaking chaos" (Blunt Magazine, 2023) informed by representation of women in folklore, myth & history.
Scene Thru Sleep is a metalcore band that draws inspiration from heavyweights like Parkway Drive, Polaris, Spiritbox, Deftones & Asking Alexandria. Their high-energy anthems are packed with crushing riffs & haunting melodies, full of aggression & emotion on stage.
Original artists based in regional NSW were invited to apply for the regional touring opportunity, which is led by MusicNSW’s team of Regional Coordinators based across the state.
MusicNSW is working across the state to increase contemporary music touring, expand artists and industry networks, and build on existing industry knowledge in regional NSW, with support from Create NSW and Sound NSW.